Houston County, GA Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Obstruction Rules (2026)

Sec. 54-36(3), part of the county's right-of-way encroachment rules in Chapter 54 (Streets, Sidewalks and Other Public Places), makes it unlawful for any person to obstruct, encroach upon, solicit the sale of merchandise on, or materially injure any part of any county road. Anyone who unlawfully obstructs, encroaches upon, or injures a county road is responsible for reimbursing Houston County for the cost of removing the obstruction or encroachment and repairing the road, limited to costs directly caused by the violation; recoverable costs can include flagging, signing, or providing detours for traffic management directly tied to the obstruction.

Where the obstruction is not removed voluntarily, Sec. 54-36(6) lets the county send written notice by certified mail; if the property owner has not cleared it within 30 days of receipt, the county removes it itself and charges the removal cost to the owner as a lien against the property. The chapter's definition section (Sec. 54-in general provisions) treats a sidewalk as the portion of a street between the curbline and the adjacent property line intended for pedestrian use, so the road right-of-way covered by Sec.

54-36 encompasses the sidewalk area within it. Related provisions in the same chapter bar mailboxes on arterial roads that interfere with traffic safety (Sec. 54-36(4)) and prohibit basketball goals on any county right-of-way (Sec. 54-36(5)).